Hyundai Elantra 5-door

slothrop · December 2001

Thanks to all for the info on this board--just noticed that HDKautosport.com has a wood dash, $150, and a small pic of it in a GT. Anybody know about this product, regarding quality/material and fit?
Also, anybody know about when/if Thule will be coming out with a roof rack fit... just given the run-around again by those folks... but still have all the accessories from my Saabing days so Yakima isn't an option.
PS--6000 miles in a bit more than four months, and no problems, don't miss the 900 at all! (except when I want to put my canoe on the roof)

wmoses · December 2001

Well after 1 month and 1200+ miles, my new GT has its first problem -- thankfully it is a minor one.

It seems that there is a water leak into the right rear of the trunk. Water pools in the plastic bin it the right side not far from the right tail-light assembly.

Given the excellent weatherstripping around the hatch opening, and the fact that small drips were observed on the inside of the RS tail-light assembly, I can only conclude that water is running down the gutter (on the outside of the weatherstripping) and in behind the tail-light assembly. This problem was not obvious on the left side.

Anyone else have this problem?

LDegrelle · December 2001

My mom needed a car and we looked to compare the Corolla and the Elantra. We test-drove the Corolla and despite all the great things I have seen about the Elantra, I begrudgingly pushed her towards the Corolla (I would have felt sick if the Elantra went belly-up in 3 years and I knew that while the Corolla was mediocre in styling and comfort it does have the reliability reputation).

We made a so-so deal on the Toyota, but they would have to custom-order it for us (wanted ABS and side airbags). 5 days later the sales guy calls up and tells us no more custom-orders for the year -- have to upgrade to get full package or downgrade. Bye bye.

Finally went to Hyundai to see what they had (Northeast Hyundai in Philadelphia). Selection was adequate but colors on Elantra were very "blah." My mom hasnt had a new car since her '66 VW bug, so she was looking for something a little jazzy. All the Elantra colors were very muted and boring. Until we saw the Cardinal Red GT in the showroom. We told the salesperson we wanted ABS and traction control and they only had one red GT with those options (and everything else too). SO we took it for a spin.

She drove for a while and it seemed adequate -- more room up front than the Corolla and the leather was pretty nice. Then I got in the seat. Immediately noticed all the little do-dads -- power mirrors, cool cockpit lights, sunroof, etc . . . . I took to the road and decided to give it some gas -- WOW! Very impressive oomph for such a small engine. It only struck me days later that it could pull that off with two other adults in the car -- very impressive.

We did the haggling, dickering thing and the lowest we could get was $16700 out the door. After a brief trip to the library and Edmunds.com we saw that was under the TMV, so thought "Why not?" We went back and bought the car.

They also had a sweet deal on financing (5.9%) -- and while it isn't 0% like so many others, the package was pretty phenomenal. I decided to go one step further and see what we could do for the extended warranty. I know most of you probably groan at that, but I wanted to know that my mom was completely covered for 10 years (she averages about 4-5000 miles a year so it isn't going to go over mile-wise). We managed to pick that up for $1050 from $1295 -- probably could have done better since the guy agreed so readily, but ah well.

Never had a new car myself but something like this tempts me. I am very impressed with it so far and can't wait to take her out for her birthday -- I'll insist I drive her in the GT!

claywaterfill · December 2001

Yet another example of getting over your reservations and just driving one.

urbanzephyr · December 2001

Nov's long term article has been posted:

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longterm/articles/46043/page007.html

knierim13 · December 2001

Hi everyone! I just picked up my new Elantra GT last nite, and so far it's love at first sight. Not to mention that I think I got a great deal. $13,800 for a 2002 automatic, plus the sunroof! I called the dealer a few days ago, and he called me back on Nov. 30 to offer the car at that price if I came in before 7 pm. I was a little worried that the price was so low, but a few friends told me that dealers will drop prices at the end of the month so they can make a quota? Is that true?

As for the scarcity of the GT, I was told by the salesperson that they probably won't start mass production of the GT for another 5 years. I'm in New Jersey, and he said that they'll probably release between 4,000-5,000 on the east cost per year until mass production starts. I do know that I haven't seen any GTs on the road at all here in North Jersey.

One question. When I got the car home last nite, and again when I got to work this morning, I noticed a strange smell when I got out of the car. Almost a burning oil smell. But everything appears to be ok. Is this normal. I'll be calling the dealer a little later, but just wanted to see if anyone else had this problem?

--Amy

bill_1 · December 2001

I particularly liked the part where they said that not one thing has gone wrong with the Elantra and then felt the need to repeat it : )

bill_1 · December 2001

I think you would do well to not pay too much attention to what the salesperson says about the GT. 4-5000 on the east coast is mass producing it. Trust me, if demand for the GT is there, Hyundai will ramp up production. 5 years from now we will most likely be dealing with an entirely new generation of Elantra (at least We better be if Hyundai wants to stay in the US market) and whether the GT will even be around or not certainly will not have been decided.

As for the price... well that is possible. In most dealerships the salesmen with the most sales or who make some particular quota will get a bonus so many of them might eat the profit to make sales in the last couple of days in the month with the hope of getting a larger bonus.

jaserb · December 2001

My Santa Fe had the same thing when it was new. I test drove a different car, so when I bought it it had something like 7 miles on the odo. I've been told it's some sort of protectant burning off. If it lasts more than a couple of days I'd have it checked out, otherwise don't worry about it.
-Jason

knierim13 · December 2001

A couple of co-workers have said the same thing about the smell, so I'll give it a few days before I start freaking out :-)

Amy

cjaccetta · December 2001

Welcome to the club. I'm sure you'll love your new GT. I've put 11,000 miles on mine in about six months and I have had no problems at all. I also live in Northern NJ (Montclair) and I have seen only two GTs on the road since I bought mine. As far as I know, I drive the only one in Montclair!

If you don't mind me asking, from what dealer did you buy your car? You got a pretty good price. When I bought mine last June I had to call four dealers in three counties just to find the one I wanted. At that time the car was hard to find. One dealer in Jersey City was charging $2000 over MSRP! I paid $14,500 for a base model with automatic. I bought from Ciasulli Hyundai in Little Falls. No complaints about them - good buying experience.

Good luck with your new ride. Nice to see more Jersey people represented in the Town Hall. The Garden State Rocks!!

shado4 · December 2001

I've had the GT since Thursday night. Passed the 100 miles mark yesterday and am having a most pleasant driving experience.

Regarding the water leak in the right rear trunk...after driving through a particularly heavy rainstorm on Friday, I made a point of inspecting areas where water could come in (sunroof, hatch, doors). So far my GT is keeping dry.

I also have the burning smell, but it is slowly going away. I test drove a blue GT (bought pewter) last week that REALLY reeked of the burning smell...so much so I was expecting smoke to come pouring from underneath the hood!

The only minor complaint I have so far are occasional rattles coming from the passenger side front seat area and from somewhere in the hatch area. The rattle for the passenger seat area I have fixed somewhat by moving the passenger seat forward a little bit (maybe it was the seatbelt buckle banging against the seat?). It's nowhere near as loud now. The rattle coming from the hatch area will take a little more time to track down.

Also, I need to check the tire pressure. I think the tires are way over-inflated, seeing as the ride seems to be a bit TOO harsh. Overinflation of the tires could also be helping to contribute to the rattles.

Other than the unwanted noises, everything on the car works as advertised. The leather seats are very comfortable and I really appreciate the lumbar support.

For the money, the Elantra GT can't be beat!

wmoses · December 2001

shado4 said --
"Regarding the water leak in the right rear trunk...after driving through a particularly heavy rainstorm on Friday, I made a point of inspecting areas where water could come in (sunroof, hatch, doors). So far my GT is keeping dry."

Glad to hear. I have done some checking and am convinced that the water runs down the rain gutter and behind the RR lamp assembly. Took the backplate off both rear assys and true enough, there was water on the RHS and it was bone dry on the LHS. It is going in to the dealer tomorrow for them to sort it out. At least I will tell them what the problem is.

As for the burning smell -- I had it too and it went away after a day or two. Don't worry about it. It is all of the protectant on the engine etc. burning off.

No real rattles other than some leather rubbing against itself somewhere on the passenger side sometime. This could be because I had the dealer install window tinting on my car, and they may have had to remove the door panels.

Got the car with 35 psi in the tires. Door jamb says 30 so I deflated to 30 and the ride does get a bit more pliant. However, I liked the 35 psi so I will be putting it back there.

th003g · December 2001

I drove my blue GT into the city today with six people on board, yet it still had enough get up and go to spare. total weight of all six people was about 900lbs. hehe. when I went to fill up the car at a gas station, I checked how low the back was and it was still ok. By that I mean there was still wheel travel left to spare. I guess having six people aboard is a cheap way to visually 'lower' the gt.

knierim13 · December 2001

So you're in Montclair? I'm in Wayne! We're practically neighbors :-) I bought my GT at Global Auto Mall in N. Plainfield. A bit of a hike, I know, but they were the first to get back to me and offered me the best price. I figure I can get my service done at either Ciasulli or Towne Hyundai in Denville.

I'm now up to 125 miles, and the burning smell does seem to be lessening each time I drive.

Amy

chicagojeff · December 2001

I am considering buying a 2002 GT, and I have two questions:

1) The crash results for the 2001-2 Elantra got a "poor" rating overall, and a "poor" rating for head/neck injuries. This is my first new car purchase, and I don't know how much stock to put in this test. Any thoughts by anyone on the topic?

2) Can anyone recommend a Hyundai dealer in the Chicago area with whom they have had honest/pleasant dealings in the past?

Thanks!

jillymarie · December 2001

ChicagoJeff,
I live up in the Gurnee area and bought my GT from Liberty Hyundai in Libertyville in October. If you're willing to make the 45 minute drive north, it was by far the best buying experience I've ever had. I personally recommend Elmer Hansen, the salesperson I dealt with. I had to bring the car in because the speedomoter needle is sticking (they're replacing the whole instrument cluster tomorrow), and was just as pleased with the service department. Just hit the 3000 mile mark and I am still loving this car! The only disappointment thusfar is the insurance rate (about 15-20% higher than my 98 Grand Am V6 was...), but with the gas I save, financially it's pretty much a wash. Good Luck!
Jill

revka · December 2001

In addition to jillymarie's suggestion, you may also want to check out Edmunds' New Vehicle Power Shopper. Good luck. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

backy · December 2001

There was a lot of discussion on this back a few months ago, but it's hard to look through 1100 posts so at the risk of boring long-timers...

Read the IIHS test report carefully and it will explain the reasons the '01 Elantra GLS (GT and '02s not tested yet) did so poorly on the head and leg injuries. They ran 3 tests, and on some of them the driver's front air bag was slow to deploy, so the driver dummy's head his the steering wheel. Also the driver's seat moved forward on its track a few inches, causing the leg "injury".

Some good things about the test was that the car's structural integrity scored Good (highest) and there were positive comments about how the side air bag prevented the driver dummy's head from hitting the B pillar.

Hyundai has stated that the IIHS tests do not match Hyundai's own test results and that there is no defect in the car that can explain the IIHS results. So who knows whether the test cars had bad airbag sensors, or defective seat tracks (or maybe they weren't latched fully), or if there was some other problem. We may not know until IIHS conducts tests on the GT (if they do).

You may have noticed that the GLS did very well in the NHTSA crash tests. But the IIHS test is considered tougher because of the speed and angle of impact (the impact can't be spread across the entire front end structure like it is on the head-on NHTSA test).

ncgtiboi · December 2001

Hyundai did in fact find a problem with the airbag sensors after the crash tests were done and recalled the '01 Elantras to replace the sensors. As for the seat I dont know if that was a fluke or what, but Hyundai did not recall for the seat but hopefully fixed it for model year 2002

cjaccetta · December 2001

Oh, great -- another GT driver elbowing in on my turf! ;-) And all this time time I though I had one of the only models in Essex County! Well...I suppose I can share the road.

I've heard positive things about Towne Hyundai's service. Hopefully you won't ever see the service area of ANY dealer but it's nice to know that you've got options. I haven't had to bring my GT in for service yet but I am thinking about taking it back to Ciasulli for a 15,000 mile checkup.

Good luck with your new car. If you see a pewter GT with an American flag in the rear window - that's me! Honk and wave!

carguy62 · December 2001

You may want to try O'Hare Hyundai in Des Plaines . They also sell Hondas (and ugh Pontiacs)....so you can easily compare. They are very large volume....invoice or lower would be my starting point with them.

chicagojeff · December 2001

Thanks for all of the responses to my questions.

I had read the crash test results pretty thoroughly, and I was surprised that only three tests were done to reach their conclusions. I am glad to know about the recall & correction of the airbag sensors... you would think that a re-test would bring much better scores if the airbags now deploy properly.

And the 2 questions...

1) I live closest to Glenview Hyundai, with O'Hare and Libertyville within around 20 miles of me. Did any of you Chicago buyers find a difference in price between the beginning and end of the month when you purchased your GT?

2) How many of you went for the ABS? Are you happy that you did, or do you feel it was unnecessary in hindsight with rear disc brakes standard?

shado4 · December 2001

I went with the ABS mainly because of the traction control. I've driven front wheel drive cars with and without traction control and there is a marked improvement in hill climbing ability in snowy weather with the traction control. With TC I can maintain a steady speed going up a snow-covered hill, whereas without TC I usually just spin the tires going nowhere.

backy · December 2001

Ncgtiboi, are you referring to the recall that was announced on October 27, 2000? That recall was to fix the side airbag sensors on 972 cars (mine was one of them--it was fixed before delivery). That recall was done long before the IIHS tests were conducted, and it did not apply to the driver's front air bag, which was the culprit in the poor head injury score. Are you aware of another recall that was done later? If so, please post details because the NHTSA database does not mention it.

irastus · December 2001

After reading good comments here and at other places, I decided to check out the Elantra GT further.

The dealer had a sweet looking black 5 speed with 20 miles on it. The color looked great on the car, but I'm hesitant to get black because of the trouble keeping it looking clean. I'm leaning towards the midnight gray.

The interior was very nice, much more so than the Focus ZX5. The dash was uncluttered but a bit sparse, and the purple lights were cool (although they'd take a bit getting used to). The radio looked a bit wimpy and we never turned it on.

Three adults piled into the Elantra and drove off. The first thing I noticed was that the clutch is very easy - almost too easy. It barely feels like you're shifting. The car handled well and had good acceleration. Steering was very light and responsive. The breaks were also good, even though this model didn't come with the ABS/Traction control.

The only negative was that the engine did seem a little loud and buzzy while working through gears 1-3. But, that's to be expected with a small 4 liter. We also had the radio off, so the only noise I could hear was the engine. When the short test was over, we popped the hood and took a look. I noticed a burnt oil smell. Perhaps that's the new smell people have been noticing. Hopefully, it was truly some protectant burning off and not something worse.

All in all, it was a very nice test drive. It looks like a great value for the money. Afterwards, I came home and turned on Motor Week. They had a very nice review of the exact same car! Talk about a coincidence.

irastus · December 2001

I've seen pictures of the GT in midnight gray. It's still on the regular Elantra, but is no longer listed as a color option. Was it discontinued for 2002?

shado4 · December 2001

...the Elantra GT just keeps getting better and better.

I filled up for the first time tonight and made a point of eyeballing the fuel gauge when I started the car. Others have posted about fuel gauges not reading full after a fillup. Good news...the minute I started the car after filling up the needle shot past the full mark almost immediately.

I'm slowly pinpointing some of the rattles. Hard to do since they only happen occasionally over rough surfaces. One rattle I traced to the front passenger seat. Moving it forward a notch or two seemed to solve that problem. Another rattle I found in the sunroof sunshade...closing it made the rattle go away, while opening it fully made the rattle appear. I wonder if this is something the dealership can fix without tearing apart the headliner! A rattle in the hatch area was caused by an ice scraper (DOH!).

Comments from friends and co-workers have all been positive. Some are left speechless when I tell them about all the items that come standard on the GT. No one was expecting leather seats to be available, let alone standard, in a car of this price class.

The pewter color hides the dirt really well, and I am surprised at the LACK of brake dust on the front wheels so far.

More later!

needanewcar202 · December 2001

I've been thinking about getting one of the new hatchbacks like the Elantra GT or the Focus ZX3 or ZX5. It sounds like most of you new Elantra GT owners are pretty happy with your purchase. I was wondering what kinds of deals (i.e., how much over invoice or how much under MSRP) you were able to get. If you would, please itemize and/or list separately any dealer ad fees, doc fees, etc. Thanks in advance.

jwc74 · December 2001

Just picked up my arctic silver Elantra GT today. Paid about $19,000 (CAN) for a five-speed with locking wheel nuts, window tint and mats. I LOVE THE CAR- for the most part, right now. I seriously disturbed my brother who works for a Honda dealer, but this car was exactly what I wanted. Honda Civic = BORING and a lot more moola! That said, I'm going to have to get two things looked at:

1) The speedo needle seems to move very roughly and cannot hold a constant speed, even while the cruise is on.
2) There's a small vibration emanating from somewhere, especially when cold. It seems to disappear for the most part once I depress the clutch pedal. I'll have the dealer check this out. .

Other than that, I'm pleased for the most part. Hey, how come us in Canada don't get that long warranty that Hyundai offers in the States?

csandste · December 2001

It seems that I saw discussion in Canadian Driver that Canadian law prohibits imported cars from having longer warranties than domestics. Don't know if this is true, but if it is you have a bit too much protectionism for my taste.

nosey1 · December 2001

Picked up my GT in July and love the car-no problems at 5000 miles except for either noisy tires or could it be wind noise?. The Michelin tires I know are top of the line but I wonder if anybody else thinks the car is noisy due to the tires and if it's wind noise. Has anyone replaced the Michelins with a different quiter tire?

fmemon · December 2001

About the Canadian vs. US warranty... I believe you can still get an extended warranty in Canada to cover you for 5-6 yrs. At the $19,000 CAD that you paid, (at the current ~$1.60 exchange rate) which works out to $11,875 USD, I think you still get a better deal than us in the US.

blackandblue · December 2001

I sold my Michelins to a Goodyear store at 300 miles for $125 ea. In return I got 4 Goodyear Eagles for $95 ea. That allowed me to add lifetime road hazard, lifetime balanceing, and lifetime rotation. Total deal was a wash and I think the Goodyears are a very good tire, no tire noise that I can tell. I think the Michelins are a bit of an overkill for this car.

ntimesstl1 · December 2001

I just completed 1K miles on my new Elantra GT. So far it is great. I traded a '96 Honda Accord LX in on it and got a pretty good deal. No over the sticker add-on. The purple dash lites blew me away. I got an automatic (really wanted a stick but it's the wife thing)and it performs alright. The "fuzzy logic" is a bite fuzzy to me. When I wind it out and shift manually, the transmission continues to shift when it wants, winding it out to near red line.
I just wish they would have made longer sun visors or at least slid out extensions to cover the entire window.
This is our second Elantra (also have a 2000) and I am really impressed with their progress. 5 more years and they will be breathing right down Honda's neck.

dougndo · December 2001

See my post #1597 in the Sonata board for the latest on the labor strife at Hyundai Motors. This might affect the availability of Elantra GTs. So what you see at your dealers and what few remain in the distribution pipeline might be what you get for a while.

csandste · December 2001

Am I cynical or are these things designed to have a high retail price to impress people that they are getting an expensive tire? Less expensive Michelins seem to perform better. It might be that Hyundai (and other makers--they're pretty popular OEM tire) are buying them at $40, and that few people actually buy them as a replacement.

I too find them a bit mediocre, and noisy, especially on concrete. They're also wearing at a rate that will require a replacement at about 40K.

I did buy the $7.99 lifetime rotation and balance at Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart actually got the slight vibration out of them on the first try. Strange given the difficulties reported in the GLS thread.

qhuy00 · December 2001

Hello all, I am in the beginning process of looking for a car and the Elantra Gt seems like a very nice car for the price considering the amenities that it offers. I just emailed one of the dealers here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and they quoted the GT with A/T at 14.8 with destination and advertising fees. They claim the advertising fee is 500 dollars, to me this seems kinda excessive but I do live in a metropolitan area so i don't know. I was wondering if any of you out there know if this is a good price or not? and if you are in the DFW area, that's even better. I thank you all in advance and hope that this will help me in my future car buying decisions.

jwc74 · December 2001

My actual price before taxes in CA dollars was $18899.40, which included an extended warranty (4 years/80,000km.) Mind you, my GT doesn't have leather, but a black fabric (which I prefer.) No ABS, traction control, sunroof or automatic, either.

She's at the dealer right now getting those prior issues looked at.

I guess prices are a little cheaper in Canada. I'm just glad leather isn't standard here, because that would have put a serious s-turn into my decision to buy. Honda Civic - boring - oh, man. . .

jwc74

backy · December 2001

If I were you, I'd check the other dealers in the Dallas area--there must be several of them--to see how much they charge for advertising fees. $500 seems like a steep fee to me. You may get lucky and find a dealer that does not charge that fee (or charges a lower fee)--for example the dealers in my area do not charge any ad fee. Right now the dealer is offering you about $1000 off list, which is not too bad, but it would be better without the ad fee. Check around to see what the other dealers can do--it might take a few calls or a Saturday of driving, but it could save you a few hundred bucks. They should be willing to deal here at the end of the year as they try to reduce their inventories before the tax man cometh.

roadwarrior6 · December 2001

2700 miles and no problems. This car rocks. Great headroom even with the sunroof.

ginto · December 2001

The Elantra GT is a great deal. I agonized a bit over it, cross shopping the Civic and Sentra as well, but ended up with the Mazda Protege5. In Canada, the price difference between it and the high-trim GT (with leather, etc.) wasn't significant.

I believe the price differential that our American friends have between the P5 and GT *is* significant, however. In the US, it appears that the GT is thousands cheaper than the P5 (real prices), making the GT a *fantastic* value. Note that in Canada, we can get the less-featured model that is unavailable south of the border.

With regard to warranties, these are often different between Canada and the US, usually to Canadians' detriment. I've heard that the harsher climate may be a contributing factor to the less lenient warranties, as well as the propensity for Canucks to keep their cars longer. However this is just unsubstantiated rumour.

Good luck with your GT!

jkaye · December 2001

I've negotiated a decent price on the GT. It includes sunroof and abs package. Of course they put in the floor mats, pinstripe, mudguards, etc.
The list is now $16,600 and the price I got is $15,400. Is that good ?

BUT..... the color they have I don't like and they said if they DX with another dealer, that dealer still receives the Manufacture's money of $500 and therefore, my cost would be 500 more.
Or I can wait until they get their next shipment in. Is this true, I would think if it is by swaping cars they still would get the 500 from the car they gave the other dealership.

Pleas advise

beeryr4 · December 2001

Seems odd on the $500. Does that mean the other dealer would get $500 for both GT's: the one your dealer is sending AND the one the other dealer is sending to your dealer? I'd really quiz them about that.

Regarding waiting for your specfic color: I just took delivery of a GLS (w/ABS & TCS) after waiting 10 weeks for my exact config to come in. But this car ended up being a dealer exchange after I ran out of patience waiting.

If you look up to post #1137, there may be a strike at the Hyundai plants. So, there may not be much coming.

claywaterfill · December 2001

There has been a partial strike going for some time. You can not special order a Hyundai, so like the other poster said, it may take months for one in the color you like to come in on its own. If the color is one you don't like--don't get it! What's $500 over the life a 5 year loan? Is it not worth $10 a month extra to NOT look at your car EVERY day you own it and say "I wish I had the other color." That's just my opinion, though. I'm sure some people will write in "$500 is $500, get what they have and move on." but my advice is that it's too much money to spend and NOT get what you like.

jkaye · December 2001

Well I just finalized the deal. I wnet thru the issue about DXing a car each way so that each dealer would get their holdback. He explained that if the other dealer did not want to trade and he had to buy the car from them then there would only be one holdback and it would go to the other dealership.. However, he worked it out on an even swap, one GT for another and therefor my price is set.
The car Elantra GT with sundroof, ABS/traction control package, mudguards, floor mats cargo net, unfortunatly, california emissions charge: Total MSRP of $16,745 for $15,400. The invoice cost should be $15,344. His profit should be $56, plus the dealer holdback of $502 less any real advertising cost asigned to each car. They said it is $428. They are actually then making $558 less any REAL adv. costs, and if it is 428, then they are making $130. Never the less, I can't imagine getting it for any less. What do you think?

claywaterfill · December 2001

If it's the color you like--great! Enjoy! Also, don't feel sorry over the profit margin. They are making plenty of money on the deal--or they would not have signed off on it. Plus, I'm sure they are making more than you think. I don't believe dealers could stay in business on $130 profit. They have to pay the salesman, the F&I guy, the sales manager, general manager, receptionist, etc. They have to pay the power bill and the rent. They make more than we think they do.

csandste · December 2001

I bout a GLS in the summer when my car failed while waiting for the GT's to become widely available. The dealer had two colors of 5-speeds on the lot. Dark red and midnight gray. I chose midnight gray after a lot of tooth gnashing because I preferred the gray interior. If all colors were available on the lot with both interiors available, I think the midnight gray would have been my least favorite color.

After living with the color for almost six months, I must report that I'm happier and happier with it. I think it's going to age well. It has most of the class of a black car but is easier to maintain. So sometimes, what you think you'll want on the lot isn't what makes you happiest in the long run.

dbwells · December 2001

Hey jkaye, where are you located? If I could get a GT for that price, I think I would have one by now. The best I seem to do here in west Michigan is right at $16,000. I know that $600 is not a huge difference overall, but since they are offering an ABS GLS for $13,800, your $1600 premium seems so much more bearable than my $2200 premium. And as for the $500 you were speaking of, was that always the holdback, or were you offered some kind of incentive? The GLS currently has a $500 dealer incentive which will likely become a $500 rebate in a month or two, but so far, I have seen nothing for the GT.
DW

claywaterfill · December 2001

I like the midnight gray and black the most myself. I think you made a wise decision in basing your selection on teh interior color that you preferred, though. You look at the interior much more than the exterior--unless you like to sit outside and stare at your car!

Hyundai Elantra 5-door

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